WHO WE ARE
The Uganda Press Photo Award(UPPA) was conceived with support from the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Uganda and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in 2012 as a competition for Ugandan photojournalists and photographers who work hard and sometimes take great risks so the rest of us can stay informed about what is happening. The award’s aim is to promote the best of today’s photojournalism in Uganda, supporting visual literacy as well as encouraging a new generation of photographers by focusing on photographic education through our programmes. It also seeks to remind the viewing public of the importance of a vibrant press for democratic development.
As of 2016, UPPA is executed by the FOTEA Foundation which was established to support the growing capacity of the project, with UPPA being the major of its satellite activities. Others include the Young Photographers’ Award along with the Emerging Photographer Mentorship Programme; workshops, film screenings, portfolio reviews and exhibitions. Through all of this FOTEA strives to bring together photographers and other visual storytellers to encourage unique voices that document and engage with social change in Uganda.
2016 also saw UPPA included in the Survey of Photography Learning and Training Initiatives on the African Continent, conducted by Photo: and the Goethe Institute, which plots a map of photography training and learning initiatives that are currently operating in Africa. It is the only such institution identified in East Africa.
THE AWARD
The winner of the main prize, the Uganda Press Photo of the Year Award, receives a CANON sponsored DSLR camera and kit. The prizes awarded are tools of the trade that we hope can enable the winners to continue their work and hone their skills.
The winners also get exposure as the award looks to shine a spotlight on the winning images with a month long exhibition as well as in media both online and in print. 2017 saw UPPA take part in the Images of Current Affairs | Press Photography and Archives in Africa exhibition at the Basel University Library from 28 April – 26 August.
THE TEAM
Born in 1965, Frederic NOY is a freelance photographer represented by Cosmos agency. His photographical approach based on a documentary process, favours the chronicle as a narrative mode. Successively living in Tanzania, Nigeria, Sudan, Chad and presently in Uganda, his essays focus on what the news forget, on trifling and neglected stories and on the life of populations trapped in the spiral of conflict or socially excluded and stigmatized.
His images appear regularly in international Press and are shown in main photojournalism Festivals. Proponent of Slow Journalism movement and interested by the issue of taboo in sub-saharan societies, he conducts a long-term and personal project about sexual minorities in Great Lakes region in Africa, awarded with the Pride Photo Award, for which, in addition to his photographic work, he has produced several multimedia projects.
Georgina Goodwin is a documentary photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya specialising in social and environmental issues in Africa. She is one of the judges for the Uganda Photo Press Awards 2018 and finalist in the Siena Photo Awards 2018 for her series on refugee children in Tanzania (winners to be announced October 27th, 2018). Georgina was one of 19 chosen speakers for TEDNairobi 2017 and her work documenting cancer in Kenya was nominated for the global award in photography and sustainability Prix Pictet 2015. She is a contributor to Getty Images, Agence France-Presse AFP, UN Refugees Agency UNHCR and Everyday Climate Change and is a member of the unique photographers’ collective Women Photograph. Georgina is a certified trainer for Canon, she also teaches photojournalism workshops for Aga Khan University. She has had her work published by NYTimes, Newsweek, Guardian, FT and many others. Her work can be seen at www.georginagoodwin.com.
Martin Kharumwa is photographer and founder of a growing community of collaborating artists in East Africa called PlusTwoFive. As a freelancer in the region he has worked on editorial assignments focused on documenting contemporary stories from the point of view of his African subjects. Whether in Tanzanian refugee camps, Kenyan truck stops or girls’ schools in remote areas of Rwanda, he shines a light on the experiences, shaping Africa today.
He collaborates with artists in the region to create deeply textured and vibrant photographs that show a multifaceted view of contemporary East Africa; from colourful fashion portraits to slice-of-life street shots. His favourite themes are identity and innovation; his work often cheekily exploring the ways in which Africans get by and make do in restrictive circumstances.
Kharumwa is committed to documenting life on the continent as an insider and allowing young Africans to present themselves as they wish to be seen by the world. He creates work that communicates within the African context, and allows young people across the continent to speak to each other. His work contributes to a collective perception of young Africans of themselves.
Annette Sebba is a lecturer at The Margaret Trowell School of Industrial Design and Fine Art, Makerere University, Kampala. Previously, Annette was an Art Director at Adapt TBWA (QG Saatchi & Saatchi) and MAAD Advertising.
In the Department of Visual Communication Design and Multimedia, Annette conducts classes on photography and design communication. She is passionate about photography, photographers and communicators in other fields. Her experiences in fine art, together with her background give her unique perspective having worked with both analog and digital.
Recently, Annette participated in a training at Goethe Institute, Johannesburg, bringing African photographers together to share experiences and opportunities that will strengthen the network and streamline teaching photography on the continent.
Yasuyoshi Chiba is AFP Chief Photographer currently based in Nairobi, Kenya. He started working as a staff photographer for Japan’s national newspaper Asahi Shimbun. In 2007, he moved to Kenya as a freelancer and joined AFP as a staff photographer in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2011. His works have been recognized with many photography awards including World Press Photo (1st for people in the news singles in 2009, 1st for people in the news stories in 2012) and Pictures of the Year International (award of excellence for news picture story in 2012, 3rd for sports picture story in 2015, 1st for Portrait in 2016).
